ABU DHABI — So, like, President Donald Trump was like all over the Middle East this week, being the center of attention in these big fancy ceremonies, announcing new U.S. policies, and sealing billions of dollars in new economic deals. He even stopped by a mosque, gushing about how cool the culture is and calling everyone there his friends. “This culture is amazing,” Trump said.
But, like, one thing that really stood out during his trip was the absence of any mention of Israel. The tension between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was already kinda bubbling up before the president went gallivanting around Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. And by the end of it all, Trump seemed to have made things even more awkward with Israel. He spent time hanging out with Syria’s new leader, who used to be an al Qaeda leader that the U.S. put a $10 million bounty on, and then announced he was lifting sanctions on the country, which Israel wasn’t too thrilled about but Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was totally on board with.
During the trip, Trump was all about hinting at a potential deal with Iran, without really giving any specifics to ease Israel’s worries. And right before he jetted off, his administration scored a deal with Hamas to get the last American hostage out of Gaza. “Hopefully this is like the first step to ending this whole mess,” Trump said. He also mentioned that there might be more hostages in Gaza that Israel needs to deal with.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, was busy bombing Gaza while Trump was in town, causing a lot of casualties. When asked about Israel’s plans for escalating the conflict, Trump was all like, “I think good things will happen soon, we gotta help out the Palestinians too.” So, you know, he’s trying to play both sides. Israel is getting kinda nervous about Trump making deals with Iran and letting Arab leaders influence his decisions. But Trump insists that having strong ties with Arab leaders is actually good for Israel.
Throughout the trip, Arab leaders were showering Trump with economic deals that he can brag about back home in the U.S. and giving him a super warm welcome. Trump was all praises for them, calling them “great people” and “great leaders.” He even said that the respect shown to the U.S. was out of this world. When it comes to Israel, though, it’s mostly about national security stuff, like dealing with Iran and the conflicts in Gaza and Syria.
In the end, Trump kinda brushed off the idea that his trip was sidelining Israel, claiming that having strong ties with Arab leaders is actually beneficial for Israel. One of Trump’s buddies even pointed out that getting cozy with Arab leaders will ultimately protect Israel because of its close relationship with the U.S. But hey, you never know with Trump, he’s always full of surprises.
So, yeah, that’s the scoop from Trump’s whirlwind trip around the Middle East. Who knows what’s next in the dynamic between him and Netanyahu? It’s like a soap opera, but with world leaders. Not really sure why this matters, but it’s definitely interesting to watch how things unfold.
